


The whole Demaury family

by herilaveur



Category: SKAM (France)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:15:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23296099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/herilaveur/pseuds/herilaveur
Summary: What if Eliott asked Lucas to come with him to meet his entire family?Lucas has never known a real family, should he panic in front of the attention that everyone pays to him?
Relationships: Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant
Comments: 93
Kudos: 197





	1. Request

**Author's Note:**

> With this actual confinement, consider a weekend with the whole Demaury family, it could be cool for us, right?
> 
> escape with me...

Lucas is looking at Eliott out of the corner of his eye. He's trying not to show it, but he's worried about him. He's been weird all day. Lucas has been trying to distract him, trying to blame it on his scheduled departure tomorrow, but as he watches him packing his suitcase, he knows that's not all there is to it. 

"Are you okay?" he asks, gently putting his hand on Elliot's lower back.

He looks surprised. He turns around and kisses Lucas as if to reassure him. He smiles but it does not quite reach his eyes.

''Of course I'm okay. I'm just trying not to forget anything."

Lucas shrugs his shoulders and tries to smile. He doesn't really believe it, but he knows that if he pushes him, Eliott It's going to get blocked. Especially if this is the beginning of an episode as Lucas suspects. However, after having closed the suitcase, Eliott sits on their bed, looking at the three squares of blue paint vaguely. As if he was expecting to see something in it.

Lucas comes and sits next to him and gently puts his hand on his thigh.

"Can you hear the sea?"

It's become their password to see if Eliott is feeling okay. Eliott's episodes are like waves breaking in his mind. Lucas soon realized his boyfriend couldn't stand him asking him point-blank if an episode was coming up, so he came up with this metaphor. And that's enough not to block Elliot.  
Right now, sitting on their bed, Eliott seems really surprised. He even jumps when Lucas asks him.

''What? No, I'm fine."

He runs one hand through his hair and looks into Lucas' worried eyes before repeating, "I'm fine, baby."

Lucas is hesitant. He doesn't want to fight with Elliot when he's leaving tomorrow for three days. Eliott thinks and then takes a deep breath.

''I'm fine. I promise. But I want to ask you something."

Lucas hugs Elliot and wraps his arms around him. He puts a kiss on his neck and then steps back so he can look him in the eye.

"Tell me." he blows softly.

Eliott plays with his hands a little, betraying his anxiety and Lucas can't help but be even more worried. He's trying to figure out what could be stressing Eliott so much. He realizes that Eliot is looking at his travel bag.

"You don't want to go anymore?" Lucas asks quietly, without judgment.

"Yes, of course I do." Eliott replies in quick succession, smiling.

He's been talking about this event for weeks. His grandmother turns 90 the day after tomorrow. So the whole family reunites in the house she owns in the Nièvre, even though she now lives in a special home for the elderly. Eliott was so happy to be able to go that Lucas doesn't really understand why he looks so sad. 

"But I'd like you to come with me," Eliott continued, taking Lucas' hand in his.

Words don't immediately strike Lucas' mind. Then he smiles. Stupidly. His first thought is _Wow, that's all it is._ And then he realizes. What Elliot wants him to do. And then he panics. He leaps to his feet, lets go of his hand and rubs his arm nervously. 

"Wait," he says in a voice too high for his taste. "What?"

Eliott stands up, grabs his chin between his index finger and thumb to force him to look at it.

"I'd like you to come with me, Lucas."

Lucas nervously backs away. And Eliott drops down on their bed with a sad face.

"You don't want to." It's not even a question. It's just an observation. His voice sounds broken and it breaks Lucas' heart. 

He kneels down on the bed, right next to Elliot, and strokes his cheek.

''I wasn't even invited, Eliott. You can't just bring me back like this."

Lucas hopes that's enough, so he doesn't have to explain how scared he is about all this. The thought of being in the middle of a family scares him. A big family. Lucas has never been in the middle of one, and he's scared of it. He gets along very well with Eliott's parents and that's more than enough for him. He doesn't need more than that. 

''Actually, my mom invited you..'' Eliott admits, bowing his head.

Lucas' chest feels like it's sagging. He falls on his buttocks and sits there, without saying anything.

''I'm sorry'' continues Eliott, keeping his eyes on his hands ''I should have told you. But I was so afraid you'd freak out. Which is obviously happening. It's just that I wish you could meet my whole family, Lucas. You know I love my cousins. They're practically my sisters. And you're gonna love my cousin Joshua. I really want you to come, to finally see what a happy family is, but I know you're scared of all this. I didn't want to force it on you. Just forget it. I'm sorry."

Lucas throws his arms around Eliott and pulls him up against his chest. He offers no resistance and lets his head fall directly to Lucas' chest.

''Okay'' starts Lucas ''First, I'm not scared.''

Eliott can stop himself from laughing. That's what Lucas always says when Eliot tells him about his fear of the dark.

"I'm not afraid." Lucas repeats, "Will Charlotte be there?"

Eliot laughs. He knows how much Lucas loves Charlotte. And how it's mutual. If he didn't, he'd be jealous of that four-year-old girl. But she's so sweet, he can't blame him for hogging his boyfriend every time she comes to Paris with her mom. Emma is the only cousin of Elliot's that Lucas has met so far. And of course, they hit it off right away. But that Eliott had no doubt. Emma had a hard time being a single teenage mother and he knew Lucas would understand without judging her. He didn't think Charlotte would fall so hard for Lucas... or that the feeling would be mutual. He'd never seen lucas with kids, and seeing him with charlotte made him fall in love with him even more. 

''Of course Charlotte will be there.'' He confirmed.

Lucas took some time to think about it and nodded.

''If it's okay with your family, I'm coming.''

Eliott backs away, obviously very surprised.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Would you do that for me?" Eliott looks surprised. And yet he should know that Lucas would do anything to make him happy.

Lucas shrugs his shoulders and thinks before he smiles.

''Yeah. Okay. I'm doing it."

Eliott's lips are on Lucas' before he's even finished his sentence. Eliott smiles in his kiss, and deepens it, laying Lucas down on the bed and lying on top of him. When he slips a hand under Lucas' shirt, Lucas breaks their kiss and pushes him away.

"Fucking Elliot" raves, he says.

"What?"

Eliott couldn't have a more surprised face.

''Why are you asking me that on Friday night at 7:00pm when your cousin is picking you up tomorrow at 6:30?''.

In response, Eliott shrugs his shoulders and says he's sorry. Lucas pushes him to the side of the bed and gets up.

''Okay. I have to pack. You need to call your parents. And your cousin."

Eliott grabs Lucas by his waist and pulls him towards his, sliding one hand across his stomach.

''No" Elliot says to Lucas, pulling his hand out. ''We'll get everything ready first. If you drag me into this bed, we won't get out of here until tomorrow."

Eliott smiles and drops Lucas, falling dramatically on the bed with his arms open. He's so happy. He's so happy. Had he known Lucas would say yes, he wouldn't have waited until the last moment...although...

So he sends a message to Clara.

Eliott - Hi. Are you OK to take an extra passenger tomorrow?

Clara - Were you afraid to drive four hours alone with me, cousin?

Eliott - I think I'm even more scared to drive four hours with my boyfriend and you...but I'll take the risk if it's OK for you.

Clara - Wait! WHAT?

Eliott - Is something wrong?

Clara - Finally! You've been hiding it from us for a year! I was too jealous that only Emma knew. Of course it's OK for me.

Elliot - ;-) See you tomorrow.

Eliott smiles and opens his contacts to call his parents. He is happy that Lucas is packing his things in the bathroom. He doesn't need to know that he lied to his parents and said Lucas was busy this weekend. It was easier than saying he didn't send him the invitation.

  
His mom's glad Lucas is free. Although now they're going to have a problem with the rooms, but they'll fix it tomorrow, right away. Eliott can feel all the excitement in his mother's voice. It's no surprise, though, because Elliot knows his mother loves Lucas. They hit it off right away and especially his mother confided to him that she really liked to see how Lucas acted around Eliott.   
It's clear that Lucas is an angel. He's thoughtful, sweet and cute. He never watches over Eliott, but he's always there when he needs him. He understands him, he doesn't need to talk and he never pushes him around. He understands that Elliot needs time alone sometimes, but he doesn't feel rejected. He's there. He's there. Minute by minute. 

And that minute, Eliott has to reassure Lucas who panics again and asks a thousand questions as he walks around the room.

''Are they all going to compare me to Lucille? Did they like Lucille? Did they see her often?"

Eliott holds Lucas close and promises him everything will be okay. 

"She never met them, Lucas."

Lucas seems even more panicked and backs away to watch Eliott smiling tenderly at him.

''What? Why?"

And Eliott runs one hand through his hair and strokes Lucas' cheek.

"Because I didn't feel like it. Because I wasn't ready. And probably because my mother didn't love him."

Lucas tightens his grip, laughing.

''Well, I guess your mom likes me, then.''

Eliott sighs as he looks up at the sky.

''You know she loves you, Lucas. She calls you her boy."

Lucas is smiling because it's true. Ever since the second time they met.

''Shit, that puts a worse strain on my shoulders. I'm the first guy you've ever brought to a family party..."

''The first one,'' confirms Elliot. ''You know you're the first one."

Lucas moans as he uses this phrase reminiscent of their first kiss and kisses Eliott before he goes back to packing. 

Eliott smiles as he watches Lucas fill his duffle bag and grumbles.

''Oh, Elliot, if you'd told me, I would have washed my blue shirt. This is a very important event and I have nothing to wear right."

Eliott looks at their wardrobe from which several dozen shirts that fit Lucas very well.

''You'll always look good. And then it's just you meeting the family," he says as he hugs him.

Lucas laughs and slaps him on the forearm.

''I was talking about the birthday, silly. It's for your grandma, that's the most important thing. You only turn 90 once in your life... and most people never do. I want to honor her."

Eliott smiles and kisses Lucas in quick succession. 

"You are such an angel."

Lucas looks at him like he's losing his mind and goes back to his shirts. Eliott stands behind him, torso to torso with Lucas' back and reaches out his arm to grab a black shirt with the same blue smooth as the eyes he loves.

"This one will be perfect, baby."

Lucas grabs it and turns around, suddenly serious.

''No ''baby'' this weekend, Eliott. No stolen kisses, no hugs... nothing public."

Eliott backs off, disappointed and amazed.

"What? Why? Wait, Lucas, they all know we're together. Everybody knows we live together. They're all okay. We don't have to hide."

Lucas walks up to him and strokes his arm.

''I don't want to hide, Eliott. But I'm not comfortable doing this in front of your family. You don't say anything when we're with your parents and yet we don't kiss in front of them."

''I called you "baby" a few times in front of them, Lucas. I hold your hand in front of them and they found us kissing in the living room a few times.''

Lucas seems to think back and frown.

''Please, Elliot. I just wanna blend in."

Elliot smiles. Lucas certainly won't be able to blend in. It's clear that he's going to be the topic of discussion this weekend. Except maybe over dinner with grandma... and again, Eliott wouldn't bet on that.

But he doesn't say anything for fear he might decide not to come.


	2. Seamlessly

The doorbell rings as Eliott ties his napkin. Lucas just got out of the shower they took together. _The last one until our return home on Tuesday_ , said Lucas, which made Eliott laugh a lot.

Eliott comes out of the bathroom with a towel and goes to open their door. Of course, he expected Clara to be early, but not so early. Or maybe they took longer than expected in the shower.

''Wow, what a welcome Eliott ! '' she says, looking at him from head to toe. ''Are you going to get dressed anyway? Although, if you pick up Grandma like that at her dorm, it'll give them something to talk about for the whole year."

Eliott looks at his cousin. He hasn't seen her in over a year, since she's been living in England. Not that it's very far away. But they haven't really had time to see each other since then. She hasn't changed, except for her hair, which she's cut very short, just boyish. But they're still the lightest blond possible. She is as small as Lucas and Eliott smiles when she thinks about it, as she hugs herself.

As they enter the apartment, Lucas comes out of the room, dressed and ready, with their two bags.

''Finally'' is spelled Clara ''the famous Lucas. Fuck, man, I couldn't wait."

She jumps up to give him a hug and Lucas feels a huge smile spread across his face.

''The whole family is really looking forward to meeting you. Emma and Charlotte can't stop talking about you. While we're waiting for Elliot to get dressed, let's get coffee."

So Eliott comes into the bedroom and Lucas goes into the kitchen to make three coffees while Clara goes around the living room. She looks at all the photos of the couple, their friends and Eliott's drawings that are hung everywhere.  
Lucas watches her without saying anything. He doesn't really know how to behave with a cousin. He's never had one.  
Clara sits down at the kitchen table, takes a sip of coffee and smiles.

"It's a Pollock?" she asks, pointing to the mural on the boys' fridge.

"Yeah," confirms Lucas. "Eliott and I painted a wall at our school, so I took a piece to keep a souvenir."

Clara nods with a smile and takes a sip of coffee. Eliott joins them and stays standing drinking, while putting his hand on Lucas' shoulder.

"Ready, baby?" asks Eliott while resting his cup in the dishwasher.

Lucas looks at him frowning, expecting to hear a comment from Clara, but nothing comes, so he relaxes. 

When they get into the car, Lucas is about to sit in the back seat, but Clara pulls him by the arm and says she wants him in the front seat so they can talk. And indeed, they talk the whole way. About high school, about Elliot's school, about Clara's studies, about their lives in general. When Clara wants to talk about Lucas' family, she understands right away that it's a sensitive subject and changes the subject quickly. They laugh when they talk about Eliott's musical tastes and his culinary mistakes, and it is in this atmosphere that Clara parks in front of a huge house.

Lucas can't help but keep his mouth open a little, nor his hands shaking slightly. Clara's hand comes to rest on his thigh and he turns towards her, just to see her smile.

''Don't worry, Lucas. Nobody bites in the family. Except Timothy, but my cousin only goes after Eliott."

Lucas already knows that. Timothy's the oldest cousin in the family. He's four months older than Eliott and apparently he hates him. Eliott told him most of their childhood feuds and Lucas knows that now they just avoid talking to each other. Lucas is really not looking forward to meeting him. 

''Come on, cuz, let's go.'' She says, looking at Lucas. 

He turns his head in a hebrained expression towards Eliott, who smiles at him.

"Do I dream where she called me cousin?"

"The whole family has already adopted you long ago. They don't even have to know you to know how wonderful you are." Eliott says, before leaning between the seats to kiss Lucas.

As he gets out of the car, Lucas realizes there are already four cars parked next to Clara's. This only increases his stress.  
Eliott's hand slips into his and he pulls him towards the entrance of the house. Lucas drops it when the door opens on Eliott's mom Danielle.

''Lucas, I'm so glad you're available this weekend after all."

As she hugs him, Lucas turns his head to Elliot, who shrugs his shoulders with a sorry smile.

"Me, too, Danielle." he says simply before he says hello to Armand.

"Welcome to the house of happiness, Lucas. When my wife told me you were coming, I was so relieved. Eliott would have spent the weekend sulking if it weren't for you."

While keeping one arm around Lucas' shoulder, he points him towards a huge living room. There are three sofas, all occupied, and a foosball table where Emma laughs and plays with one of her cousins.

"Family," exclaims Armand, "I'm proud to introduce you to my future son-in-law, Lucas."

Lucas feels his cheeks turn red as everyone turns to him. The two girls stop their game and greet him. A little woman gets up from the blue sofa and practically jumps up to him.

''Welcome Lucas. I'm Armand's sister, Isabelle. But call me zaza. I couldn't bear it any other way."

And she hugs him, before she carries him off to the sofas.

"This is Dominique, my husband."

"Call me Dom." he says, shaking his hand.

"I hope Clara hasn't been bothering you all the way here. Our daughter can be a bit intrusive. And her sister Marie too. Sorry for our daughters' behavior." She's waving to her daughter who's playing foosball with Emma. "Marie, say hello to Lucas."

Marie continues to play, scores a goal and lets go of the controls.

"Sorry. I was winning. Hi, Lulu. I'm glad you're here, the whole family's gonna be looking after you all weekend and leave us in peace. Thanks for this!"

Her mom's waving at her to shut up. 

"I think Joshua must be in his room on the phone with his buddies." continues Isabelle.

A guy as tall as Eliott, about 50 years old, comes to shake Lucas' hand, introducing himself as Armand and Isabelle's brother, Thomas. He calls his wife, Annie, who comes out of the kitchen with an apron tied around her waist to continue the introductions. Their son Timothy and his wife Eleanor will not arrive until tomorrow at last. Lucas tries not to let his sigh of relief be heard about it, but Eliott makes it clear. And Lucas already knows their daughter Emma very well and Charlotte too.

Lucas quickly feels lost in the middle of all these people who show up and welcomes him as if they had been waiting for him forever. He tries not to show it too much on his face, but of course, Eliott notices him immediately.

''Okay. '' cuts Eliott off as he looks at his mother. ''Mom, where are we going to settle down? We're taking our bags upstairs."

''Since you were coming alone, we had planned for you in the dovecote. But since there are two of you"

"We're okay with the dovecote," the Eliott Cup, sure of himself.

Everybody looks at him in amazement, and he keeps saying, "We're fine with it, Mama. Don't worry about it. It's perfect."

His mother reaches out and touches his arm, as if to get a reaction from him.

''There's only one single bed over there, Eliott.''

"We'll take it," confirms Eliott. "Lucas isn't taking any space anyway."

Danielle shrugs her shoulders and looks at Lucas. He hesitates, not really knowing why Eliott wants them to sleep there. But since he trusts him, he nods and tries to smile.

''Ah, young people. At least they won't be cold," exclaims Thomas, laughing, and Lucas thinks his cheeks won't return to their original colour all weekend. 

Eliott slips his hand into Lucas' and guides him through the living room, to a corridor that he crosses entirely, arriving at the bottom of a spiral staircase. They climb so many steps that Lucas promises to count them during the weekend, then Eliott pushes a wooden door. 

The room is all round. It's really cute. The walls are light grey, and the light comes in through little windows. There's a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside.

''It's my favourite place in this house," says Eliott, wrapping his arms around Lucas' waist as he looks out over the view.

Lucas turns around, kisses him and sweeps the room with his eyes.

''It's really beautiful here. But, Eliott, a single bed? Really?"

Eliott shrugs his shoulders.

"We've done this before, Lucas."

Lucas thinks back to the rental they took this summer with the guys at the seaside.

''I know. But I didn't really want your whole family to picture us crammed into that tiny bed."

''I don't really care'' whispered Eliott before he cut Lucas' face off with his hands and kissed him ''and them too, Lucas. Relax."

Lucas sighs. It's gonna be hard.

They stand there for 15 minutes kissing until a bell rings in their room.

''It's the signal to gather,'' Eliott explains as he takes Lucas' hand down the stairs.

They arrive in the kitchen where the three sisters-in-law are busy, as well as a young boy Lucas' age. This one pushes Eliott directly away by putting his hand on his chest. 

''Out of the kitchen Eliott. You're not allowed in here." He looks at Lucas amused and smiles at him. "Do you have the same penchant for cooking as my cousin?"

Lucas is acting shocked and hurt.

"Oh, no, certainly not." He leans over to the boy and laughs, "He's banned from our kitchen, too."

The boy looks at him and raises an incredulous eyebrow, until Eliott confirms.

"Banned from his own kitchen! That's excellent! I'm Joshua. Pleased to meet you." He slaps his fist against Lucas' laughing fist.

"Can I help?" Lucas asks, looking at the pan.

Joshua looks at him as if wondering if he can trust him, but hands him a frying pan.

"I'm making pancakes for dessert. You can help me if you want."

So Eliott leans over the bowl of dough and dips his finger in it.

''Maybe you could put some saffron in there. That would be so good. Or a little cayenne pepper."

"I said, 'Dessert pancakes,'" repeats Joshua, tapping the back of his hand with his ladle.

"Get out of this kitchen, baby." Lucas says, with the same tone as if they were home. He puts one hand in front of his mouth, embarrassed. But he dares a look around the kitchen and nobody's laughing. Danielle looks at him and sends him a big comforting smile. 

"I'm sure you say that over and over again," Joshua asks, pouring a ladle into his frying pan, "Eliott made us all sick several summers in a row when we used to vacation here, but he still wants to come into the kitchen. It's as if he likes to make us sick."

Lucas laughs and flips over his first pancake. 

''Oh, yeah. He's always trying to come over. The other day he tried to put chocolate in my leek soup."

"Hey," Eliott laments, now sitting on stools around the kitchen island, "I was having a manic episode."

Lucas turns around and points his ladle at him.

"No, you didn't." he says unequivocally. 

Lucas realizes that everyone has stopped in the kitchen, and no one seems to be breathing, until Eliott starts laughing, his most perfect laugh.

''Okay. I hadn't. You win. Sorry."

Danielle, Isabelle and Annie seem to be breathing again, and Lucas joins Eliott in a laugh, as he watches Joshua.

''And the worst part is, he actually said it the next day to apologize for doing it. Because he did, he really spoiled my soup with chocolate while I was on the phone with my mother.... It was awful. He really tried to make me think it was because of a episode maniac. But it was just him. Fortunately, i know him."

Joshua laughed and Danielle came up to Elliot and slapped him in the back of the head a little.

"Mama!"

And she looks at him, half-furious, half-amused.

''Eliott, you're impossible. It's hard enough for Lucas to put up with your episodes, so don't hide your bad behavior behind it. Be nice to my boy."

"Sorry, Lucas, I promise I won't do it again." says Eliott, apologizing like a child would.

The whole kitchen bursts out laughing and Eliott takes advantage of Lucas being busy pouring a ladle of dough into his pan to join him and wrap his arms around his waist before giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Lucas."

Lucas' blood runs so thick on his cheeks and behind his ears he's not sure, but he seems to hear an "oh, they're so cute" coming from Annie.

Joshua elbows Lucas out of his thoughts.

"So, how did you know it wasn't an episode?"

Lucas smiles awkwardly and focuses his attention on his pancake as Eliott drops him and returns to sit on the stool.

"I just know him really well, that's all."

"No, I just wish I did." Danielle suddenly says, "I could never tell when he was having a manic episode unless it was too late."

She looks at Lucas, giving him all the attention he could do without. He puts the pancake on the pile and tips a ladle over. You'd think his cheeks would be red from the heat, but they're not.

"Never mind, mama" Eliott says quietly.

''But it would be good for everyone if we knew how to recognize your seizures, Eliott.'' Isabelle confirms softly.

Lucas turns over his pancake, biting his lower lip.

''Well, he wasn't like when he's having an episode."

Lucas looks at them, but he can see it's not enough. He can see they're not gonna let go. Joshua also looks at Lucas and smiles softly at him, as if he's waiting for the revelation of the century.

"When he has an episode, there are certain things he can't do..."

Lucas expects everyone to nod and go back to their jobs, but they keep watching him. Lucas turns to look at the door.

Eliott has to understand that he is panicking so he tries to help him. In his own way. Which isn't helping Lucas at all.

''When I have an episode, I can't do anything sexual. But on that day, it wasn't."

He starts laughing, but Lucas' dark stare stops him dead in his tracks. He shrugs his shoulders back.

"Oh."

That's the only sound that comes out of Danielle's mouth before she bursts out laughing, taking her sisters-in-law and nephew with her. Joshua laughs so hard he lets his pancake burn.

Now it's clear, Lucas' cheeks won't leave this red colour at all over the weekend!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small family tree: 
> 
> Eliott's parents are Danielle and Armand.
> 
> Armand has a brother and a sister.
> 
> His sister, Isabelle (Zaza), is married to Dominique (Dom). They have three children : Clara (19 years old) Joshua (17 years old) and Marie (16 years old).
> 
> His brother, Thomas, is married to Annie. They have two children: Timothy (20) and and Emma (19) and a little girl, Charlotte (4).
> 
> Timothy's wife is Eleanor (20).
> 
> I love big families!


	3. Unbelievable

After finishing cooking the last pancakes, Joshua elbows Lucas slightly and he washes his hands in the corner of the kitchen.

''You must be really in love to come to a weekend getaway with a family like this. But it's cool that you came. I love my cousins, but there are way too many girls here! And as soon as Timothy arrives, he and Eliott won't stop talking badly and I won't exist anymore. So I'm glad I get to spend time with you. That's cool, Lu."

And Lucas can't help but nod and smile. 

''Thats'cool. Thanks Josh. Or Jo? Jojo?''

Joshua bursts out laughing and sends a rag to Lucas.

"OK for Josh, but only because my cousin is madly in love with you and I know we'll be seeing each other for many years to come."

Charlotte walks into the kitchen laughing, jumping right into Eliott's arms. Emma chases after her, skirt in hand, and Lucas realizes the little girl is wearing nothing but pantyhose. Eliott helps her put on her princess skirt and takes her in his arms to pull her up onto the kitchen island.

"I'm so sad my prince isn't here," says the little girl, hugging Eliott. "You must be sad too."

Eliott laughs and shows Lucas finishing washing his hands.

"My prince!" spells the little blonde girl as she jumps into Lucas' arms.

"Hello, Princess Charlotte."

The little girl sticks a huge kiss on his cheek and waves to her mommy.

''Mama, Mama, look.my wish came true, Lucas is here!"

Emma laughs, telling everyone how all Charlotte talks about is Lucas.

"Someday I'm going to marry him," the little girl says.

"Oh, no," the Eliott cup, smiling, "I plan to do it first."

Charlotte sends a dark look to Elliot and looks at Lucas with sad eyes, as if he has to choose between the two of them.

"My darling. Leave Lucas alone and come help Grandma," Annie says.

''Don't tell me you hesitated...'' asks Eliott as they head into the lunch room.

''She gave me puppy dog eyes...'' Lucas defends himself, laughing, before adding, ''But in my fairy tale, there is no princess. There's a righteous sweet prince who loves painting."

Once they're all seated at the table, the conversation turns to tomorrow's noon meal for Grandma Henriette's birthday. Eliott, Lucas and Joshua are automatically assigned to go and fetch her. No one asks why it takes three of them to pick up this famous grandmother, so Lucas won't ask.

Dom asks a lot of questions to Lucas, but nothing embarrassing. His studies, his life, his hobbies, the apartment they share...and he seems really interested in Lucas' answers. Charlotte wanted to eat between Eliott and Lucas and she spends the meal asking Eliott for drawings, while commenting on Lucas' answers.

Once the meal is over, Eliott declines the offer of a coffee and pulls Lucas by the arm to cross a corridor. They meet at the back of the house, cross the courtyard and Eliott opens the door of one of the buildings surrounding him.

''There's a fucking pool,'' exclaims Lucas in amazement. ''I don't believe it. Why didn't you tell me right away? I'd have come readily."

And Eliott laughs and turns around to kiss Lucas.

''I just wanted to be alone with you so badly.'' He whispers as he kisses him on the jaw.

He lets him have one last quick kiss on the lips, before he takes off his shirt and sweater in one fell swoop. Lucas looks at him frowning and Eliott undresses down to his boxer shorts before jumping into the pool. Lucas looks around, takes off his clothes, keeping only his boxer shorts and joins Eliott.   
The water is really good. Lucas hugs Eliott and wraps his legs around his waist. They are still kissing when they get a ball in the head.

"Hey," says Marie, "you could have invited us.''

She gets rid of her towel and dives in. She's smaller than Lucas and quite thin, but she splashes everyone. Lucas sees Clara, Emma and Joshua, also in towels and bathing suits. Soon all six of them are in the pool, playing like children. They spray themselves with the water guns, have fun sinking, fight on their shoulders, try to hold together on the huge inflatable buoys. 

Lucas had never laughed as much with other people as his buddies. 

''I'm sorry about earlier, in the kitchen." Joshua says to Lucas as they both lie on the same inflatable buoy. 

Lucas is laughing softly.

''Don't worry, Josh. It's no big deal."

''You really are a great cousin, Lu. Glad to have you in the family." Joshua says before banging their fists together.

Marie jumps on the buoy, capsizing them both. Lucas comes to the surface laughing and thinks to himself that it's nice to have such a family. He watches Eliott shooting Emma and Clara with his water pistol. Their laughter fills the whole room.

''What happened earlier?'' asks Marie, now sitting on the buoy.

Lucas shrugs his shoulders, but Joshua answers first.

''I made Lucas say in front of Mum, Auntie Zaza and Auntie Dani that he detected the Eliott episodes because of his impotence.''

Marie utters a loud cry of astonishment, immediately joined by Clara and Emma.

"I'm not impotent." Eliott grumbles as he looks at Joshua.

Joshua splashes him with laughter.

"What do you call that, then?"

And Eliott splashes back and laughs with a shrug.

''He's physically unavailable,'' says Lucas very seriously.

The girls start laughing and Eliott joins Lucas to hug him. 

"You're the best, my love."

Their lips barely have time to touch and they get splashed by all the cousins.

They spend most of the afternoon in the pool. Charlotte comes to join them after her nap.

At 6pm, they finally make up their minds and get out of the water, promising to come back before the end of their stay. 

Eliott and Lucas go back up to their room and take advantage of the calm of the dovecote to kiss each other.

''You see why I wanted this room.'' Eliott says softly. ''It's much better here where no one can hear you scream my name.''

Lucas slaps his arm and laughs.

"You're the one that's moaning the loudest, Eliott."

And then Eliott pretends to be shocked and then he laughs.

"We'll ask Mika..." Eliott concludes, standing up to Lucas.

Lucas makes an exaggerated moan and stands up. It is certain that Mika will side with Eliott. 

After a meal as lively as the one at midday, they spend the evening challenging him to table football. They laugh, clap their hands, insult each other and kiss. It's just perfect.

Lucas falls asleep in Eliott's arms, all tight against his chest and finally, he's pretty happy about this bed one story. Danielle gave them an air mattress, but it's clear that they would rather sleep tightly in the same bed than sleep in two separate beds, even though they are next to each other.

Just before falling asleep, he even wonders why he was so worried about this weekend. In the end, everything is going really well.

After breakfast, Eliott takes Lucas for a little romantic walk through the countryside. A walk that finally happens with three people because Charlotte accompanies them, walking hand in hand with Lucas during the whole walk.

The little girl enters the house 5 minutes before them, called by her mother while Eliott holds Lucas in a corner of the yard so that he can kiss his without any restraint. When they come home, Lucas immediately feels that the family atmosphere has changed. 

''Tell your daughter to be polite, Emma. I'm her uncle, though.''

''Then act like it, Tim. You make it sound like you hate her!" Emma screams back.

"You're raising a spoiled, temperamental little girl!''

The critic's voice is harsh and dry. Lucas enters the dining room first. Charlotte throws herself into his arms in tears.

"I wish it was you, Uncle." she says, between tears. 

Lucas holds her tight, trying to understand the situation. Eliott wraps his arm around her waist and hugs him to comfort Charlotte. 

"Oh. Eliott.''

The same voice, always so dry. Lucas looks up from the girl's brown hair and sees a man, as tall as Eliott, staring at him with black eyes.  
Eliott greets him then introduces Lucas to Timothy and Eleanor and everyone seems to hold their breath. Emma is on the verge of tears. Eleanor greets them quickly and heads outside, her phone glued to her ear, apparently absorbed in her work.

"I thought you were coming alone," Timothy says in a dry voice.

"Well, I guess not," said Eliott. 

He feels Lucas tensing up and gently squeezes him to try to show him it's all right. 

Timothy looks at Charlotte, still huddled against Lucas.

Lucas looks at the sleeping princess in his arms and kisses her. He questions Emma with his eyes but she seems lost in his thoughts. Lucas supposes that they must have had a fight before because Emma really looks like she has been crying.

"Josh, we're going to fetch Grandma," Eliott announces, waving to Joshua, without letting go of Lucas' waist.

"It takes three of you to do that?" Timothy laughed, looking Lucas straight in the eyes.

"It was Auntie Dani's request," said Joshua with a big smile. "Apparently, Grandma asked for it. She asked for Lucas on purpose."

Eliott smiles, as if he were winning a match and Lucas can only look at the mass of sleeping blond hair in his arms. 

"I'll put Charlotte in his bed and we'll go," Eliott warns, taking the little one from Lucas' arms before moving with Emma to his room.

Lucas walks to the front door with Joshua and they start putting on their shoes. They startle at the same time, when Timothy starts talking. They hadn't even noticed that he was behind them.

''Granny must want to show all her friends her grandson and his gay boyfriend. It's so much fun for old people.They're watching so many gays on TV, so seeing them in real life is gonna brighten their day. It's kind of like a show for all these old woman."

He's staring at Lucas from head to toe "Too bad you're not really stereotypical. She's gonna be disappointed. I think she'd rather you'd be wearing an earring or some ultra-short shorts."

Lucas, gawking, has no time to talk as Timothy turns to Joshua laughing.

"Oh Joshua, you have an earring? Oh, I forgot. Your little shorts look great on you, by the way. Now I understand why you're so hung up on Lucas and Eliott. Especially Lucas, apparently, by the way. I've only been here 20 minutes and I've already heard your mom say you were incredibly close to Lucas. Maybe Eliott should watch out for you."

And he leaves laughing, looking at the two boys' defeated faces.


	4. Grandma

Eliott pulls over and stops the car without warning.

''What you'' asks Lucas.

''That's enough. What's going on?" Eliott asks, looking alternately at Lucas sitting next to him and Joshua, sitting as far back as possible in the back seat. ''You haven't picked up a word in five minutes. I can see something's happened. You're both weird!''

The two boys look at each other briefly and Joshua looks out again.

''Lucas, please.'' Begs Eliott. ''I need you to talk to me."

''It's your cousin, he's been a real jerk.'' Finally, Lucas says, looking into Eliott's eyes.

"Josh?" asks Eliott, which makes him jump.

"No," intervenes Lucas. "Josh hasn't done anything. It's Timothy. He's such an asshole. I think we're both hurt. So just give us a couple minutes to pick ourselves up and forget about what he said and we'll be fine. Promise."

"He said what?"

Eliott's question remains unanswered, so he asks it a second time, in a slightly more demanding tone.

''He said Grandma asked that Lucas come with you to pick her up because a gay couple at the retreat house would be a nice distraction for the old ladies. And that she'd be disappointed because Lucas wasn't stereotypical."

Lucas noticed that Eliott's hands were squeezing the wheel way too hard. His knuckles turn white so Lucas gently strokes the palm of Eliott's hand with his thumb. Joshua moans painfully before continuing.

''But who cares, 'cause I'm here for the stereotype. Because, apparently, I'm the stereotypical gay personified."

Eliott looks at his cousin and then at Lucas with an interrogatory look on his face. Lucas nods his head to confirm that Timothy did say that.

''And rumor has it that You should watch out for me, because apparently everyone thinks I have a crush on Lucas."

And Eliott looks again at his cousin, who's getting as small as possible in the backseat.

''So what? What's the truth in that?" he finally asks.

Joshua shrugs his shoulders.

''You know, all the answers are right,'' adds Eliott. ''You're allowed to have a crush on Lucas. He's so cute and sweet and funny. Sexy."

"I don't have a crush on Lucas," Joshua says as he stands up. "Sorry, Lucas, I like you. But not like that. I'm not fucking gay. Shit. Sorry, guys. I didn't mean to say that."

''No offense'' promises Lucas ''Don't worry. I got a lot of straight buddies, that's fine, too."

Josh sniffs and a little smile appears on his lips.

"Besides, I've already had enough of Eliott and Charlotte's love for the Demaury clan."

''And my mother'' adds Eliott ''and my father too.''

"Do you think I'm feminine?" Joshua finally asks, as he sits up in his seat and gets up.

Eliott sighs.

"There are no stereotypes, Josh. Just be who you wanna be. Honestly, I've never wondered that about you. I don't care who you love. I just hope you can find someone to be happy with."

"You're not answering my question," moans Joshua before he looks at Lucas.

"No," admits Lucas, "I didn't think you could be gay. And I didn't think you were on to me so don't worry about what he said. He's a jerk."

"A real asshole," okay, Joshua.

"Feel better?" asks Eliott ''we don't let him get to us, okay? We're gonna have to stick together to survive a day with our dear cousin."

The two boys look at each other and smile and nod, so Eliott starts the car again.

"Do you think that's a little true?" finally asks Lucas, who's a little worried "that we're going to do some kind of show for old ladies?"

"We'll find out right away," says Joshua, pointing to the retreat house.

"It's clear that if she expressly asked us, it's because she has an idea in the back of her mind, but showing off her grandson because he's in love with a guy is certainly not part of her plans. As if she's going to put me in the spotlight by shouting, "Look at my grandson, he's sleeping with that guy. How cute to imagine what they do with their dicks when they're home alone...""

Lucas moans and hits Eliott's forearm, which cuts the engine.

"What?!"

"Don't talk about us like that." Lucas moans.

"Yeah," confirms Joshua, laughing, "there's a minor in the car anyway... I'm shocked."

Lucas gives him a blank stare when he realises Joshua is laughing at him but that doesn't stop him laughing as Eliott leans over to kiss Lucas.

''I promise, baby, I won't talk about sex with my grandmother. And I dare you to do the same."

Joshua laughs so hard in the back of the car, he can't get out of the way, causing a general laugh.

Lucas never went to a retreat house. He expected it to look like the hospital where he visited his mother regularly. But it didn't. It looks like a big country house. In the lobby, pictures of the residents make him smile. In some pictures they dance, in others they eat. There's even a photo where three elderly men are toasting, glass in hand, big smiles on their lips.

The three boys walk by the side of the common room. There, Lucas really feels like he is being watched. And it's not just a feeling. There's a six woman sitting there knitting, looking at them through a large glass window.

Eliott rushes into one of the corridors without hesitation and Lucas wonders when he was last here.

''She's had the same room for years,'' says Eliott suddenly. ''It's the last one down the hall, it's easy.''

And indeed, they stop at the last door in the hallway, where the name "Henriette" is written in the middle of a drawing. Lucas could swear her boyfriend did this. Eliott knocks then opens the door without waiting and the three of them enter the room. Everything is really colorful here. There are pictures everywhere. Literally everywhere. Lucas immediately recognizes the entire Demaury family. Some of the photos are old, but some are really recent. And on the wall in front of him, Lucas immediately notices the picture of him and Eliott in front of the fresco.

"Happy Birthday Grandma" declares Eliott in a theatrical way, taking his grandmother in his arms.

Joshua comes to hug his grandmother who insists on looking at him and tells him that he is still growing and then she goes towards Lucas.

She is a small woman, very thin but with a huge smile on her face. Eliott smiles at Lucas while supporting his grandmother with one arm.

''Grandma. This is Lucas."

Henriette looks at Lucas and comes over to take him in her arms and taps him twice on the shoulder blade whispering ''Nice to meet you, Lucas. Armand never stops talking about you. I've been looking forward to meeting you."

"Happy Birthday, Mrs. De"

''Oh no, no Mrs. Just call me Grandma'' says Henriette ''Everybody calls me Gradma, even the nurses here. I'm the dean."

''Happy Birthday Grandma'' says Lucas with a shy smile.

"Now I have a favor to ask you boys."

The three boys exchange a worried look before looking at the grandmother again.

''You're already you, Eliott. Come and see. Here, Joshua, take my bag, please."

They leave the room, Joshua carrying his grandmother's things as she heads into the common room on Eliott's arm.

"Girls, this is the famous Eliott," she says, proudly showing it to the women sitting in the armchairs. "Look, Eliott, here's our knitting closet. The warden painted it white, but it's really ugly. Could you draw us something on it to brighten it up? We need color here."

Eliott looks at the closet his grandmother points out to him.

''I'd like to, but I can't, Grandma... but the headmistress."

''I'm all for it,'' says one woman in her 50s sitting among the residents ''if that's okay, sure. It's OK."

Eliott nods his head and thinks.

''If we have half an hour, I can fix it.'' He says, looking at the boys.

''We have time'' says his grandmother as she grabs Lucas' arm and drags him to the opposite side of the room.

Lucas only understands her request when she lifts the sheet covering a black upright piano.

''But how?'' How does he do it.

''I heard you playing when Eliott called me on the phone the other day, so I know you're playing. That piano is never used. The only resident who could play it died two years ago, and we really miss it. My husband played and I loved it. Please, Lucas."

Lucas shakes his head red cheeks. There's no way he's gonna play here in front of all the grannies watching him.

''I guess you won't say no to me on my 90th birthday, though,'' she says with a raised eyebrow.

Fuck it, man. Lucas sees where Eliott gets his stubborn streak from. He takes one look at Eliott who's already drawing on the cabinet and sits down.

He plays a happy birthday with his eyes closed and then turns to Henriette with a smile on his face.

''We still have time.'' she says.

Then Lucas thinks. No matter what he finally plays, the residents just want to hear the sound of the piano. So he plays Adele's ''Someone Like You'' and Lady Gaga's ''Always Remember Us this way''.

He hears Eliott sniffing around. And yes, he's playing Lady Gaga in the middle of a retreat house. Goddamn it, this family's gonna kill him. When he finishes the song, he turns around on the bench and realizes that there are now about 15 residents behind him, along with 4 staff members.

''It's beautiful,'' says one of them.

"Again," asks an old man waving his cane "and it's swinging."

Then Lucas plays the Telephone and then the Pink. Because, yeah, he loves it. When "Modern Family" ends, he realizes that Eliott's done.

On the white cupboard, there are now several animals knitting and talking and needles that write the word "Knit". All sprinkled with many colors. It is very far from Eliott's usual style, but it is very pretty. And his grandmother and his girlfriends seem delighted.

"Grandma, we have to go," said Joshua, putting his phone back in his pocket. "Mom was starting to get worried. It's almost noon."

"One more" asks a grandpa in a wheelchair.

"One more," said Eliott, sitting on the bench next to Lucas.

"Together?" asks Lucas, smiling.

Eliott can't help but smile at his boyfriend so relaxed and nods his head as he settles down to play the only piece he knows.

Lucas thanks Basile for challenging him to learn a 4-handed song with Eliott in 15 days. He sees Baz's circumspect face again exactly when they played, 15 days later ''Call me maybe''. All his efforts were well worth the restaurant put on the line by their friend.

And now that they're both playing together, perfectly coordinated, Lucas thinks it was even more worth it.

They end up under Joshua's stunned gaze, who is speechless.

''I didn't even know my grandson played the piano so well. You must be a great teacher, Lucas." Henriette laughs "I hope you still know how to play the letter to Elise that your grandfather taught you," she said standing up.

Eliott nods his head and smiles.

''Sure, Grandma. But Lucas plays a lot better than me."

''I'm sure he does. My husband would have loved to hear that. Bravo, Lucas. Now, let's get out of these old croutons and go back to my place.Timothy must be eagerly awaiting our return so that he can pester Eliott."

She takes Lucas' arm. All the residents greet her with laughter and thank Lucas, asking him to come back.

''Timothy spends all his time trying to hurt Eliott. All because of a girl, you know? How silly this is."

Lucas turns around to give Eliott an interrogatory glance and Eliott gives him a sorry smile. Lucas helps Henriette to get in the front of the car and then calls Eliott before he opens his own door.

"A girl, huh?"

Eliott smiles stupidly.

"Yeah. We were 16 years old. He took his girlfriend to a family dinner and found us kissing. I was young and dumb... and he's been charging me for it ever since. He didn't like me before that... maybe I made it worse."

Lucas shrugs his shoulders.

''Maybe? How nice to have a cousin like you.''

"Hey," Eliott moans. "I was 16. Didn't you do anything stupid when you were 16?"

And automatically, Lucas thinks of Chloe again and nods his head and slides into the back of the car next to Joshua.

In the middle of the route, Joshua plays nervously with his hands then ends up sighing and tapping his grandmother's shoulder sitting in the front seat next to Eliott.

''Say, Grandma. You wanted Eliott to come and draw on the furniture and Lucas to play the piano. But why did you want me to come and get you?''

She turns around to look at him, falsely surprised by his question.

''Would you rather have stayed home with your cousin Timothy?'' she asks ironically.

Lucas bursts out laughing in spite of himself, which makes Henriette laugh.

''I guess you've already met Timothy, Lucas.''

"Oh, yeah." confirms Joshua before Lucas can say, "He hasn't changed.''

"Then I guess you'd rather be with us." the grandmother says to Joshua, "but if not, sorry.''

''That's perfect. Thank you, Grandma. That was cool.''

When they arrive in the living room, Henriette quickly finds herself the center of attention. She recounts what her wonderful grandsons have been willing to do to brighten the life of the retirement home and Timothée seems angry by the account of past events.

Of course, the whole family wants to see Eliott and Lucas play four hands, so after some encouragement, Eliott slips his hand into his boyfriend's hand and drags him to the piano that belonged to his grandfather. They find themselves playing in front of the whole family in perfect silence. Even Charlotte does not say a word during the whole song.

The applause resounds as soon as Lucas closes the keyboard.

''Guys, that was incredible,'' says Isabelle.

''Thank you Zaza,'' Lucas simply says with a smile.

"I'm so proud of my boys," announces Danielle as she comes over to kiss them. "Come on, now, everybody for a toast.''

They all toast her birthday and sit down to the table in a kind of merry chaos. Lucas is seated between Eliott and Marie who are just across from Clara and Joshua. Emma sits as far away from her brother as possible.

Charlotte is supposed to eat next to her grandmother but she refuses to leave Lucas' lap. Lucas tries not to look Timothy in the face, but Timothy can't hear him from this ear.

"What about Lucas?" he says with a sly smile "What kind of school are you in?"

Lucas smiles awkwardly at him and wiggles out a little on his chair. "I'm a senior."

Timothy seems happy to hear that and turns to Eliott and whistles, "Well, do you like them young?"

And the whole table becomes silent and all eyes turn to them.

"As you say, I love him. That's all." says Eliott, and he doesn't take his eyes off him.

Danielle comes in to cut the conversation short by bringing in the chicken and potatoes... Conversation resumes around the table. This time, all the adults are busy with their conversations and no longer listen to what the boys are talking about. Charlotte eats directly from Lucas' plate, which makes his laugh a lot.

"You seem really good with kids," Timothy says in a tone that shows it's not a compliment. "Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I'm an only child."

"Oh," whistles Timothy, "any smaller cousins?"

"No," Lucas replies again, "I don't have any. It was just me and my parents."

"It must have been sad when you were little."

Lucas looks up at Timothy, wondering where he's going with this. Apparently from the look on his face, Eliot wonders the same thing.

"When you're a kid, you get used to anything, I guess." Lucas finally says, weighing his words.

His answer seems to satisfy Timothy.

"Ah... I can see why you don't want a real family."

Eliot jumps up beside Lucas.

''What do you mean?'' Eliott asks in a stern tone.

''Eliott, don't be dumber than you really are. A family. Daddy, Mommy, baby. Sperm, egg, fetus. With all the love in the world, two men cannot procreate."

Lucas' cheeks are peony red again as he gently kisses Charlotte as Emma picks her up to take her to naptime.

''Shit,'' Eliott moans overly, ''you hear that, baby? We've been practicing so often and so hard, but I hear it's all for nothing."

"Maybe if you try a little harder, it'll work," laughs Joshua. "Personally, I like it when it's a little harder." He winked at Lucas.

Timothée chokes on the glass of wine he was drinking and the two boys laugh when they realize that the wine comes out of his nose. Lucas refrains from laughing just so as not to make Timothy even more angry but he finally bursts out laughing when Timothy leaves the table grumbling about staining his shirt.


	5. Confrontations

The three boys keep a broad, satisfied smile on their faces when Timothy returns to his seat, a stain of red wine clearly visible on his shirt. The girls whisper to each other and just let out a few giggles while eating. 

''My boys, can you come help me?" Danielle asks, putting her hand on Eliott and Lucas' shoulders.

''Gladly.'' Lucas said, happy to have an excuse to leave his seat.

He follows her into the kitchen while Eliott walks right behind him.

''Can you bring the wine to the table?'' she asks, taking the cheese board and pointing to two bottles of wine on the worktop.

''Did you really need two of us for that?'' Eliott asks puzzled.

''No'' granted his mother ''but you both seemed to need some time alone so you both stayed in the kitchen. So enjoy it and come back when you're relaxed enough to put up with your cousin and his probably annoying thoughts. I feel sorry for him, Lucas. Every family has its black sheep."

And just like that, Danielle disappears from the kitchen.

"Is it my imagination, or did your mother come up with an excuse for us to spend five minutes kissing quietly?"

And Eliott doesn't even bother to answer. His lips are already on Lucas'. He pushes him up to the counter. As Lucas' tongue slips into his mouth, he puts his hands on his hips and lifts him up to sit him down on the worktop. Lucas moans and spreads his legs so that Eliott can slide into the middle. Eliott's hands slide under Lucas' shirt and Lucas moans again on contact. He forces Eliott to get even closer to him by surrounding him with his legs. Lucas' hands slide into Eliott's hair and Eliott moans when Lucas pulls gently on it to force Eliott to tilt his head back to kiss him more deeply. Eliott gently bites Lucas' lower lip. He still holds it between his teeth when his father's voice startled him, extorting a "holy shit" from Lucas' mouth as the taste of blood fills his mouth.

"We're thirsty, guys," Armand says again, taking the bottles off the counter next to Lucas. "Oh shit, Lucas, you're bleeding."

Lucas touches his lip.

''Shit, baby, I'm so sorry.'' Eliott groans as he looks at him.

''It's okay, it's all right.'' Promises Lucas as he picks up a piece of paper next to him.

"Dani, darling," Armand yells, "come to the kitchen quickly. Lucas is bleeding."

Lucas moans, still sitting on the counter as Eliott's mom joins them.

''It's nothing,'' said Lucas, his hand on his lip as he stepped off the counter. But the paper is red now, showing that it's not so innocuous after all.

''Let me see. Eliott, get out of the way, you've done enough'' she says, pushing him hard, "I told you to be nice to my boy."

''I was being nice,'' Eliott defends herself. ''It was Daddy who scared me. I'm so sorry, Babe."

"It's OK, I promise." Lucas groans as Danielle hands him a cold compress to put on his lip.

''You literally have my son's dental impression on your lip,'' Armand says, laughing. ''Nice doesn't mean beastly, Eliott. But why are you biting him like that?"

Eliott moans as his father drags Lucas to the dining room and keeps laughing.

"Damn, Lucas, what happened?" Clara asks in amazement.

The whole table turns towards him and Lucas sees all the eyes widened looking at his lip which must be rather swollen by now.

''It's nothing. It's all right."

''Eliott just kissed him too hard,'' Danielle says as she walks by, ''I'm sorry for my son, Lucas, for the way he acted. He's like a real hormonal teenager."

Lucas blushes and sits down and empties his glass of wine that he hadn't really touched until now. Holy shit, wine on a freshly made wound, it stings.

"What really happened?" Marie asks softly.

''We were kissing, Daddy scared me, I jumped up and bit Lucas. Sorry, babe."

Marie winces, leaving in between a "ouch it must hurt."

"Can I give you a piece of advice?" Clara whispers, laughing.

Lucas nods his head but he regrets it immediately when he sees Clara's big smile.

''Always put your phone on silent when he gives you a blowjob, because if he jumps up and bites you there, it's going to hurt. Right, hormonal teenager?''

Joshua and Marie start laughing, while Lucas blushes even more, hiding his face in his hands.

"Do we have to talk about this while we eat?" Timothy grumbles.

"Hey," complains Eliott, completely ignoring his cousin's remark, "No shit. It's the first time I've ever unwittingly bitten him. And yet it could have been. Several times. If I had to count the number of times we've been interrupted, I'd..."

Lucas kicks him under the table and Eliott signals that he will say no more.

"Unintentionally?" Clara says with an eyebrow twitch of "uh huh."

Lucas is still peony red as Eliott nods in jest. Lucas looks at Timothy who leans over his wife's ear to whisper something and tries to kiss her but she pushes him away, showing him she is working on her phone. She hasn't left her side the whole meal. That's when Lucas realizes that she hasn't said a word since the beginning of the meal. She probably hasn't looked up from her phone since the beginning of the meal.

Timothy stands up and catches Lucas' eyes. He smiles at his with his shit-eating smile but Lucas can't convince himself to look down. So they hold their gaze until Timothy speaks.

"Lucas, are you playing footsall?" Timothy asks, pointing to the game in the living room part of the room.

Lucas nods his head and smiles. Timothy's smile gets bigger and he moves his chair back to stand up. 

"Now?" asks Lucas puzzled.

Timothy starts laughing.

"We have time before dessert. Are you afraid I'm gonna beat you up?"

Lucas pushes his chair back and gets up. He glances at Eliott, who looks rather worried and heads for the foosball. Nothing bad can come out of a game of foosball, right?

The game starts with a game ball that's already pretty athletic. Timothy seems to really want to win and Lucas can only smile at this overflow of negative masculinity. As if he has to win this game to prove he's the best...but no matter, Lucas has no desire to lose. 

Lucas scores the first goal and lets out a really happy "yeah" as Timothy lets out a painful moan. Lucas raises his head and realizes that all the cousins are sitting around and chatting while keeping an eye on the game table. He senses that Elliot's really tense, but he remembers it's just a game of foosball.

At least five minutes go by when the two men are fighting over their handles before Lucas scores a second goal, which is worth a "shit" from Timothy's mouth.

''No? Tim, you lose?" asks his father as he joins the kids in the living room. He turns and smiles at Lucas, "Timothy's an undefeated player so far. He's never found an opponent his size. Well done, Lucas."

"He hasn't won yet," Timothy points out as he puts the ball back into play. 

Armand and Dom join Thomas to watch the game while sipping their glass of wine. 

''So, Lucas. Where did you learn to play?" Timothy asks.

Lucas kept his concentration and sent the ball back to the other end of the field, but Timothy intercepted it and the game intensifies.

''A friend runs a bar near the high school so I play almost every day with my friends,'' Lucas says with a smile.

''Ah'' whistles Timothy ''you hang out in a bar every day. Good to know."

Lucas looks up, not wanting his lyrics changed like that, and Timothy takes advantage of the occasion to score a goal by shouting victory.

Lucas slowly picks up the ball and looks Timothy in his eyes.

''I don't hang out in bars. I play foosball with my friends or darts while I wait for my boyfriend to finish lessons."

He puts the ball back in play and scores a direct goal, catching Timothy off guard. 

"Okay," Timothy says, looking at him defiantly. 

Thomas laughs and Lucas realizes that Henriette has joined them and is now sitting in one of the living room chairs.

The ball is being played and everyone is defending their side with ferocity.

''It's cool. I forgot how cool college life is. Well, high school for you, at last. What about you, Eliott, still an artist?"

Lucas is keeping his eyes on the ball and his nerves on the controllers. There's no way Timothy's gonna distract him like that.

"I'm a freshman in art school, and it's really good." Eliott's response sounds like a resume presentation. It just goes to show that he doesn't want to talk about it with his cousin at all.

''It's all about how talented you are. 'Cause it's one thing to love it, but it's another to be able to make a living out of it. Especially art."

The living room becomes completely silent. Timothy scores a goal and brags about it, but immediately his uncle calls out his name.

''Timothy. Don't be naughty. If you lose, take it."

''What?'' he says, looking at the rest of the family. ''It's true, isn't it? I just wonder what serious work he'll be able to get. It's bad enough that it won't be easy to keep a real job with his problems."

''Stop it, son,'' said Thomas in a dry voice.

He pretends to be shocked and goes on in a mean voice, "Sure, you take his side, Dad. Just like everybody else here. Hey, family, let's be realistic. Eliott graduated high school at 19 and his life is ruled by his fits of madness. Do you really think he's gonna get a job where he's allowed to stay out of bed for a week because he can't get up?"

''Shut up, Fuck."

Lucas feels the anger rising inside him and he can no longer hold back his words.

"Eliott is constantly fighting his fucking brain and he's showing tremendous courage to live a normal life. He certainly doesn't need some asshole making fun of him just because he's clearly jealous of the attention that everybody's giving him. So just shut up, holy shit."

Dead silence descends on the living room. Timothy gawked and wide-eyed... Like all the family members... including Eliott. Only Henriette has a huge smile that lights up her face. 

Lucas sweeps everyone away, turns tomato red, mumbles an "I'm sorry" before leaving the room with tears in his eyes.


	6. Battles

''I'm lucky Lucas is gay enough not to know how to fight. Long live the stereotypes."

Lucas turns around and backtracked so fast, he gave Eliott a shoulder to lean on as he came to catch up with him. He hears Danielle call him and realizes the three women are back from the kitchen, but it's too late. Timothy has gone too far. So without thinking about the consequences, Lucas throws a fist so hard and so fast on Timothy's jaw that he falls on his ass. 

Lucas leans over him to hit him a second time but four hands pull him back. He's trying to fight back but Eliott and Joshua hold him firmly. He ends up raising his hands in front of him meaning that he is calmed down. 

"I will not tolerate this in my house."

Henriette's voice startled him and made him feel like a cold shower. He turns around to give her a sorry look.

"I am"

"Don't you dare say you're sorry." She gets up out of the chair and points at Timothy.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Timothy. You're the oldest, you should be an example. You're selfish and mean. So either apologise to Eliott and Lucas or get out of my house right now."

Timothy looks at her furiously.

"But Grandma."

''I don't want to hear it. Apologize or leave."

Timothy's face turns even redder with anger.

"You're not going to kick your grandson out of the house anyway, are you? You'd rather have a stranger in your family? He just hit me."

Henriette walks up to him and holds him by the collar of his shirt.

''You'll be welcome in my house when you behave like a Demaury. Your grandfather would be ashamed of you. I'm ashamed of you. Well, Lucas is certainly no stranger. He's a full-fledged family member. Just because your wife doesn't make any effort to fit in with our family and things aren't going well between you two doesn't mean you have to take it out on other people. So you apologize, you work out your problems and you'll come back when you've calmed down. That you're teasing Eliott, we're used to that. But this is too much. You've gone too far, Timothy Demaury. I will not tolerate this in my home. If I had any more strength, I would have hit you myself, so I'm certainly not gonna blame Lucas for doing it."

Timothy steps back to get his grandmother off his back and looks at his father but he gets closer to Henriette and everyone understands he agrees with her. 

He looks at Lucas and Eliott and sighs. 

''Family shit. You're all a pain in the ass."

"You're a pain in the ass, Timothy," exclaims Emma, "you're the only one making trouble."  
  
Timothy seems surprised to hear his sister picking on him like that and stops for a moment and then heads to the table where Eleanor is still glued to her phone.

"Let's go."

"Finally!" she exclaims, "I told you it was a bad idea to come."

And they leave without a glance for the family.

Eliott walks up to Lucas and whispers "I love you" in his ear.

"I want to find someone who fights like that for me," Clara says, looking at Lucas. 

Lucas feels his cheeks turn red again but Joshua doesn't give him time to respond.

"It's clear! "Me too," says Joshua, provoking the laughter of all the cousins. "No, I didn't mean it like that," He moans and laughs. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I want to fight like this for someone."

Henriette walks up to Lucas and takes him in her arms. 

''Thank you, Lucas. I'm really happy for Elliot. He's always been different. Since he was a little boy. But he deserves someone to fight for him. And I'm really glad it's you. Timothy deserved someone to keep his big mouth shut. He went way too far. We all know he's unhappy, but that's no reason to take it out on other people."

She turns to her eldest son.

''Armand, that's a wonderful son-in-law you have. Come on, now, I want to enjoy my birthday cake."

She comes to the table, holding Lucas' arm.

''Zaza makes the best chocolate cake you've ever eaten. It's like reaching for the sky. Even the sex isn't better than that. I guarantee you that."

Lucas feels his cheeks turn crawfish red and he starts coughing, choking on his own saliva.

''Oh... young people today. You think we don't know what it is. You think I don't know why you have my grandson's teethprints on your lips? So did I a few years ago"

"Grandma blows out the candles" comes Eliott, pulling Lucas towards him and pulling him back to their seats. "So, Lucas, what did I tell you about talking about sex with my grandma?

"Thanks, baby," Lucas says as he gets back in his chair. "This day is a disaster. I really am"

Eliott stops him with a kiss.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence. You were so perfect. I should've put that smile back on his face a long time ago. But you fight so much better than I do."

Eliott's kissing his again.

"You two are so cute together," Clara says.

Eliott puts his hand on Lucas' thigh and they watch the candles go out, one after the other. 

''It's way better than sex,'' whispers Lucas as he eats a piece of cake. 

Eliott frowns and whispers to Lucas, "I'll have to check it out tonight."

Lucas looks at Elliot and winks and nods at him.

"No episode on the horizon?" Joshua laughs, winking at the couple.

Eliott rolls his towel into a ball and throws it at his head. There follows a towel-ball battle filled with laughter. 

They leave the table at 6:00 pm. Lucas watches Eliott play ball with Charlotte in the courtyard and he can't help but feel sad for Timothy. And yes, even though he's a real jerk, he's part of the family and Lucas thinks it's such a shame to have such a family and not want it.

"Don't worry," Annie's voice startled him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to apologize for Timothy."

Lucas shrugs his shoulders.

''That's more like me."

''Oh, no. I really don't. My husband told me everything Tim said, and I'm really sorry."

She puts her hand on Lucas' shoulder and that makes him smile.

''You don't have to apologize for him, you know. I'm sorry he's gone."

She shrugs her shoulders.

''I'm not worried, he'll be back. It's not the first time. I'm not making excuses for him, but I know he's fighting with himself and it's making him really awful. Once he accepts himself, he'll be much better already."

Lucas looks at her and wonders if he should ask for an explanation but he doesn't really know what to say. And Annie seems to need to talk about it all.

''I'm his mother. I've been watching his Internet history his entire teenage years. I found porn books under his bed. And there weren't any girls in them. I waited for him to come out for a while and then he told us he was marrying Eleanor. I tried to talk to him, tell him I knew about it, but he just took off. I think that's why he hates Eliott. Because he's taking matters into his own hands. He's taking responsibility for his illness without trying to hide it. And now he's clearly taking responsibility for being with a guy. And you're taking responsibility, too. And good, because there's no shame in that. I just hope he accepts himself someday."

Lucas nods his head and thinks about himself. What he would be like if he'd stayed in the closet. He thinks about Eleanor, who's actually Timothy's Chloe, and Lucas can't help but wonder if she knows about it. He thinks about all the things Timothy said about gays and stereotypes. It all makes sense, actually. And Lucas feels even sadder for Timothy.

''I hope he makes it someday.'' Lucas says with a soft smile "It's a tough inner battle."

"Lucas, come help me" screams Eliott as he chases Charlotte while trying to catch her.

Lucas smiles at Annie before running to join them and catching Charlotte before lifting her up in the air. 

He has just enough time to rest it on the ground when he sees Joshua, Marie, Clara and Emma coming out of the pool building, each with a water pistol in their arms. Lucas is soaked before he can say a word. 

"It's tradition," laughs Josh. "Welcome to the family, cousin."

Lucas bursts out laughing and imagines Eleanor in his place, which makes him laugh even harder.

And tonight, watching a dvd with the cousins, Charlotte asleep on his lap, hearing the adults laughing in the kitchen, Lucas has just a perfect vision of the family he wants to build with Eliott.


	7. After

Lucas is looking at the beautiful view of the countryside as he wakes up. It makes him feel like nothing has changed. It's always so beautiful here. 

"Admit it's also your favorite room in this house," Eliott says softly in his ear, wrapped around the size of his arms.

''I like the pool, too.'' Lucas laughs before turning around to give Eliott a hug, ''but yeah, I love this room. I can't believe we can still sleep here, just the two of us. It makes me feel like two hormonal teenagers again."

Eliott chuckles as he puts kisses on his husband's neck.

''You're still a hormonal teenager, baby. You speak like you're 50!"

Lucas laughs before he kisses his. He breaks the kiss when the bell rings in their bedroom.

"Gathering... Do you think Josh made us pancakes?"

Eliott shrugs his shoulders and opens the door, letting Lucas run down the stairs before him. When they get to the dining room, they realize they're the last ones to get up. Josh sits at the end of the table, between Charlotte and Emma. Marie sits next to Emma and talks to Clara's boyfriend, Noah.   
Danielle, Annie and Zaza are chatting over coffee and Lucas is sure that they have finished their breakfast a long time ago, but they stay around the table just to chat. 

"Sleep well?" asks Joshua with a big smile on his face. "Not too tight?"

"Slept great," laughs Eliott. "Lucas still isn't taking up any space."

Charlotte starts laughing. "Well, Nicolas woke up twice last night. You told me he was sleeping through the night. Otherwise I might hesitate to take him to my room."

Eliott shakes his head and smiles, he knows Charlotte certainly wouldn't have hesitated.

"And what did you do with him, sweetie?" Lucas asks worriedly.

"He went to sleep with Uncle Armand. I think they're still asleep.''

Lucas starts laughing. Armand is even worse than his son.

''It's the holidays. We'll make up the rules at home," whispers Eliott, "Relax.''

"I'm relaxed," grumbles Lucas as he sits next to Noah. 

"You look so relaxed," laughs Noah, prompting laughter from all the kids around the table.

The dark-haired man smiles as he shows him the croissants.

''We don't have that in England. Just for that alone, it was worth coming to France."

"What about me?" Clara asks, fluttering her eyelashes, making the table laugh.

"You're worth it, too," laughs Noah. 

Lucas laughs out loud. Noah's been coming to the Demaury family reunions for four years now. He immediately blended in well with the cousins. He's the first "reported" that Lucas ever baptized with a water fight.

''Dads''

Lucas instantly pulls his chair back to catch his son running in his arms before jumping on Eliott's lap right next to him. Nicolas's brown hair is indomitable and tickles Eliott's laughing face.

"Did you sleep well, buddy?" asks Eliott.

''Yeah. Grandpa snores. A lot" laughs the little boy. "Daddies sleep well in prison?"

"It's not a prison," laughs Lucas. "It's a...a""

He's hesitating.

"A boudoir?" Joshua suggests "a bachelor flat?"

Lucas puts his hands over his son's ears and gives his cousin a black look. 

"Josh!"

Eliott laughs, kisses his son, then shows the boys the time. 

"We have to leave in 30 minutes to pick up Grandma."

"Ninety-eight years, we better not be late!" says Josh as he finishes his coffee. 

"It's bad enough she won't be happy Tiphaine isn't with you." Lucas points out.

Josh shrugs his shoulders.

''And yes. Life as an intern can be so unfair sometimes. But she'll try to call us between surgeries if she can. I assure you, she's sorry she can't be there. Come on, guys, we gotta get ready. Today's a big day."

All the cousins are looking at each other and exchanging the same amused gaze.

"You promised to be nice," reminds Danielle at the end of the table, "especially you, Eliott. Lucas, I'm counting on you to help me contain him."

"Hey," nags Eliott, "I said I'd be as nice as he deserves. Seeing as how he was with Lucas the first time he saw him, I'm certainly going to be"

Lucas puts his hand over Eliott's mouth to force him to shut up.

''I promise, Danielle, I'm going to try to hold him down. Eliott, no drama, okay? Remember how stressed I was about meeting your whole family? You better be good, babe."

Josh chokes a chuckle and Eliott starts pouting.

"If we're not even allowed to laugh any more." Eliott complains as he stands up with his son in his arms and says, "Nico. I love him, but your father's a killjoy," he whispers in his ear.

"I heard you," exclaims Lucas as he follows them. 

Eliott stops, turns around and steals a little kiss on Lucas' lips.

''If you heard me, it's because I said it loud enough, baby.'' He says, raising his eyebrows.

''That's enough, you two,'' says Danielle ''Come on, Nico, come with granny. We'll see if grandpa can wake up this morning. And you two, go with Josh to look for Grandma. Eliott, just calm down, okay?"

Eliott and Lucas nodding and smiling.

Going to the retreat house has become a tradition for the three boys. For the past 3 years, Tiphaine has usually joined them. But not this year. That doesn't stop Lucas from being dragged to the piano and doing a little concert to the great joy of the residents and Henriette. 

Josh laughed when his grandmother pointed out that she had forgotten her cane when she got into the car and sent him to get it so her children wouldn't argue with her. And it is in this atmosphere, filled with bursts of laughter, that the four Demaurys join the family home.   
  
When Eliott parks in the courtyard of the house, Lucas immediately notices Timothée's car. He helps Henriette to get out of the car and then to go and sit down in the living room.

''I don't believe it" Eliott grumble and smiles "he is already rotting Nico."

Lucas and Joshua turn to see Nicolas laughing in Timothy's arms in the dining room. He has a little car in his hand and Lucas is sure it's a gift because he's never seen it before. And Timothy always has a present for Nico when he sees it.

"Tim," exclaims Eliott, walking up to him with a big smile on his face, "stop rotting our son.''

''Eliott'' said Timothy in the same tone of voice, ''Let me spoil my little cousin any way I want. Ain't that right, Lucas?"

Nicolas, wriggled out of Timothy's arms and joined Charlotte in the living room to show her his new car. Timothy took the opportunity to greet his cousins.

"So, Tim," Josh asks, "How long ago did you get here? Where's your better half? Was he scared of us after all?"

"Thirty minutes. Dim's changing, Nico peed on him."

Eliott laughs and Lucas turns to him with a look that only he knows.

"Oh, no," Eliot swears, "I promise I never told Nico to do that."

"I never said that," Timothy defends himself. "Damn, you could have fucking imagined this. But why the fuck didn't I think of that. You're such a child, Eliott."

"No" corrects Eliott.

He turns to Lucas and his eyes are pleading with him, "No, baby. I swear I didn't. Even though I wish thought of it after all."

"Sorry," Lucas says, turning to Timothy, "he just decided to go diaper-free and it's a little hard sometimes."

"Don't worry, cousin, I understand. It was kind of funny, actually. It was a lot of laughs for Nico, anyway. He's a really sweet guy, we'd forgive him anything."

"The spitting image of his father." Eliott admits.

''It depends on which father we're talking about,'' Timothy confirms with a raised eyebrow.

''Don't tell me. I guess you're the notorious Eliott," said a voice suddenly from the stairs. 

Lucas, Eliott and Josh turned around in a single movement and looked at a boy barely taller than Lucas, brown with blue eyes going down the stairs smiling embarrassedly, dressed in white shorts and a flowered shirt.

''Cousins, this is Dimitri. Dim. Eliott, Lucas and Josh, my three cousins."

The boys shake hands and smile as Dimitri comes over to Timothy's side and puts his arm around his waist. 

''I'm so glad to meet you. '' Dimitri says, ''Tim has told me so many good things about you. ''

"Half of it must be wrong, then," says Eliott. That's worth a little elbow in the ribs from Lucas. '''I'm kidding. Just kidding. Oh, for God's sake, relax, everybody. Come on, Dimitri, I suggest we fight now, so the tension will be gone."

Dimitri looks at Eliott very closely and laughs out loud.

''A loaner for a rendering, right? If that's the way you want it, I'm the one who's gonna punch you in the face, aren't I? Honestly, Lucas, I should be thanking you for this. I think Tim really needed this to realize he wasn't on the right track. I swear, when he told me that, I wanted to hit him myself."

"If you knew how dumb he was before that," confirms Eliott.

''If you knew what he's like sometimes'' whispers Dimitri back ''but he's trying so hard so I'm going to keep him. Besides, he seems to have a nice family. Your son's really too cute by the way. A little wet maybe, but he lent me a small car, so I forgive him."

Eliott gives Lucas an amused look as Danielle calls them to the table. 

"So?" Eliott asks, sitting across from Dimitri, "How have you been putting up with him for what? Two years already, right?"

"It'll be almost two years," confirmed Dimitri, looking lovingly at Timothy. "And frankly, if anyone had told me that after our first meeting, I never would have believed it."

"Wait," stops Clara as she gets closer. "He told us you two met at work. Love at first sight between colleagues, you know?''

Timothy moans and Dimitri looks at him frowning.

"Wait, don't you two work together?"

"Oh, yes, we do," confirms Dimitri, "I'm his boss, that right."

"Uh-oh," laughs Elliot, "your boss, cousin? Seriously?"

Timothy shrugs his shoulders and then turns to Dimitri, smiling.

"Maybe I forgot to mention you were on top of me." He chokes on his own spit when Eliott laughs, "I meant at work. Fucking Eliott."

"I didn't say anything," defends Eliott by raising his hands in front of him.

"That's right, for once he didn't say anything." Lucas says, laughing.

"So, chief?" Josh laughs.

"That's right," confirms Dimitri, "although I'm only three years older than Tim. I'm editor-in-chief, and he's one of my editors."

"Three years, huh?" says Eliott again, "You like them young, don't you?"

Dimitri laughed out loud.

"Tim said you'd say that," he says. "You two know each other pretty well."  
  
Lucas laughed as Timothy and Eliott silently stared at each other.

''So, what about when you first met? No instant love at first sight?" Marie asks.

"Oh, no," exclaimed Dimitri, laughing, "I'd just been transferred from the department. I used to work for the thriller section but I was tired of reading the same style of script over and over again. So when the head of the true story section resigned, I took the job. I liked it right away, being able to read real life stories and being able to meet the real characters. It's really rewarding."

Dimitri turns his head a little bit to look at the cousins. Nobody eats anymore. Nicolas is on Lucas' lap and even he doesn't say a word. Charlotte has put down her phone and seems to be waiting for the rest of the story. Like everyone else, in fact. Even aunts and uncles

''When I arrived at the office on Monday morning, I wasn't looking where I was going. When I got to the service hallway, a guy bumped into me... this guy."

He stops and points at Timothy, even though everybody understood.

''I fell on the floor. Me, my coffee, and the three files I was holding in my arms. And you thought he'd help me pick it all up... No, of course not. He went on his way without even looking at me."

"Hey," stops Timothy. "I said : I'm sorry, man, I'm in a hurry."

"A real asshole!" laughs Eliott.

''Eliott'' nags Lucas, pointing at Nicolas on his lap, ''but I agree. Oh, come on, Tim! How could you be so mean?"

''OMG!'' Thomas moans, "don't tell me I raised a guy like that."

"Yeah," Tim says, "Sorry...but imagine my face when I get to the staff meeting and find out he's our new boss..."

Eliott burst out laughing, followed by Josh and then all the cousins. Noah laughs so hard that tears come out of his eyes. 

''And you think he'd come to apologize after that? No, I don't think so. The great Timothy Demaury didn't apologize at the time."

''He apologized with me many times,'' Lucas corrected him, smiling at Timothy.

"So, how did you go from hate to love?" Clara asks.

"I soon learned that he had just gotten divorce. I had just broken up with my boyfriend, and everybody knew it. Office gossip is a real scourge. One Friday night, as I was leaving the office late, thinking I was the last one, I realized he was still there. He'd fallen asleep on his desk. I woke him up and offered him a drink. And then it became a habit, the two of us going out on Friday nights to celebrate the end of the week. Then we started going out to celebrate when books were published. Then we'd get together on the weekends to see a movie or talk about a new book. He was just a good friend. We did that for almost a year."

"And?" grows impatient, Charlotte.

"Two years ago," she says, "I told him I was leaving. I was offered the opportunity to head up the French section of the publishing house in New York. We were in our usual bar, and he kissed me. Just like that. He told me that he was afraid but that he could never go on with his life if he let me go without telling me that he loved me. And I stayed. And here we are...now we live together and I'm really glad I decided to stay for him. He makes my life a fairy tale every day."

"That's my son," exclaimed Annie.

"Shit," Eliott moans, smiling, "this is so sweet. I can't say anything about this."

"And no," confirms Dimitri, "he's so cute when he wants to be."

"Yeah, well, only when he wants to," confirmed Elliot.

After Henriette blew out the candles and Lucas enjoyed the famous chocolate cake, Lucas and Josh suggested we go out in the yard to get some fresh air. And if Armand, Dom and Thomas wink at them, nobody notices. 

Nico is playing in the grass with his little car while Charlotte hangs out on his phone while watching him from the corner of her eye. Lucas is chatting with Josh while watching Dimitri playing with Nico from the corner of his eye. 

''Hey Dimi, can you come here for a second?'' asks Josh half jokingly.

''Yeah. I'll be right back, buddy." He said he had Nico's attention. 

Dimitri's just in time to get up when all the cousins pull out a squirt gun and he's soaked to the bone. 

''No shit? Aren't you too old for that?" Timothy complained, grumbling, while Dimitri burst out laughing.

Eliott takes the opportunity to aim at him and he gets wet too.

''Welcome to the family, Dimitri.'' says Eliott, resting his rifle, with a big smile on his face.

"I guess I'm accepted, then?" Dimitri asks, laughing. He's getting closer to Timothy. "Your family is a little damp, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

They don't have time to kiss that they're the target of every squirt gun again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New family tree:
> 
> Eliott's parents are Danielle and Armand (always).
> 
> Armand has always a brother and a sister.
> 
> His sister, Isabelle (Zaza), is married to Dominique (Dom). They have three children  
> \- Clara (27), in love with Noah (28) from 6 years.  
> \- Joshua (25) il love with Tiphaine (23) from 4 years.  
> \- Marie (24).
> 
> His brother, Thomas, is married to Annie. They have two children:  
> \- Timothy (28), divorced from almost 4 years, in love with Dimitri (31) from 2 years  
> \- Emma (27) and a little girl, Charlotte (12).
> 
> Eliott (28) and Lucas (26) have a son almost 3 years old, Nicolas.
> 
> I love big families so much!


	8. Timothy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loris asked me to spin off Tim... and I couldn't say no. So there you go, I'm adding a chapter. 
> 
> I hope you like it. 
> 
> For the record, Tim is now 31 years old. So that's three years after the previous chapter

Tim's looking at his phone again. No word from Eliott. Holy shit, for once he really needed his cousin, he's late...

Tim's trying to breathe normal and get rid of his stress. He's been looking at the clock for the tenth time in the last 2 minutes... he knows he has time but he can't help but get stressed. If only Eliott were to arrive now, it would reassure him. 

He stares at the door...but nothing.

Then he drops into the chair behind him with a sigh. Eliott promised him he'd be on time. Promised in jest, but promised anyway.

He sighs thinking of his cousin. Everyone says they've always been like cats and dogs, but it's not true. He can think back to many summers when he was happy to know that they were going to spend the holidays together at their grandparents' house. 

He can't even tell at what age it really changed. Maybe around 8/9 years old when Eliott started to be closer to Josh than to him and Tim started to get jealous. Or maybe around 15, when Eliott announced in the middle of a meal that he had kissed a boy for the first time and that it was as good as kissing girls. What's certain is that he started to really hate him at 16, when he found him with his girlfriend's tongue in his mouth. When he thinks about it now, he thinks he's so dumb. If that girl, Lucie or Camille, Tim doesn't even know...if she could see them now, she would laugh. 

His phone beeps and pulls him out of his thoughts. Tim jumps out of the chair to get it and sighs. It's just a commercial message. He needs to get a commercial message today...it's a joke...  
He hesitates to text Eliott but puts his phone down and paces. He's never been under so much stress in his life. 

The door opens and startled him. 

''Mama? What the hell are you doing here?"

His mother looks at him and laughs.

''I came to see how you are. You seem so nervous."

Timothy runs his hand through his hair and laughs.

"Eliott's running late."

Annie shrugs her shoulders.

''Of course he is, baby. You knew he was gonna be late." She looks at her watch. ''It doesn't start for 45 minutes. He's got plenty of time to get here."

"I'm gonna kill him."

''No, baby. You love him too much for that."

Timothy grunts and starts walking again. 

"Tim?"

And he turns to his smiling mother.

"I'm proud of you, you know. I'm so proud. Grandma would be really proud of you."

And she hugs him before he can say anything.

''Me, too, Mama. Me too."

And it's true. And it gives him a radiant smile on his face. Because he's really proud of himself. And that's a feeling that he hasn't had for many years. 

He was proud of his career. But that's it. He hated his marriage, he hated himself. He hated who he was as much as he hated what he did.

his mother releases him from her embrace and leaves smiling at him, promising his cousins would be here soon. 

Tim can't stop thinking about Eleanor. He wonders what has become of her now. He hasn't heard from her in the eight years since they divorced. At the same time, he didn't really want to hear from her.   
He can't say he's never been in love with her. Anyway, he tried. He tried to convince himself that he loved her. It was so much easier to convince himself to love Eleanor than to accept how he felt about Chris.  
He sighs. He hadn't thought about Chris for so long. He was his best friend's brother. He was two years older than him and Tim couldn't stop thinking about him. He couldn't stop going to his best friend's house when he knew he wouldn't be there, just to spend time with Chris. 

And then there was his birthday. His 19th birthday. Tim had invited Chris, of course. They both found themselves in the kitchen, and Chris leaned over to grab a beer. But Tim misread that gesture and kissed Chris. 

To this day, he can still see Chris's surprised then angry look in his eyes. To this day, he can still hear the insults that Chris screamed in that kitchen. He could almost feel the punch he had thrown in his face and then in his ribs.   
Before Chris could say it around him, Tim had found a way out. And that way, on his own birthday, he proposed to Eleanor in front of all his friends. Eleanor didn't want a big wedding, but she wanted to get married right away. So they got married just the two of them, surrounded by their two witnesses and their respective parents, two months later. 

He knew it was wrong to get married like that and he regretted it almost immediately. But Eleanor seemed so happy. And he thought his mother would be happy, too. Except his mother, and the whole family, always hated Eleanor. And she didn't do anything to try to get accepted. That's why she didn't want a big wedding, for she didn't have to put up with the whole Demaury family. She always thought of Timothy's family as country folk, rough and seamlessly. And maybe. Maybe that's true. But they're so much more than that. They're generous and kind and really care about each other. They're the epitome of a great family together.

Timothy never thought he'd be kicked out of his own family. It's been the worst year of his life. A year without any real contact with his parents, sister, niece and cousins. He can't even blame Lucas. It was all Timothy's fault. He doesn't even know why he took it out on Lucas when they first met. Well actually he does. He wanted to hurt Eliott. Because Eliott was hurting him by being there, dripping with love with the man of his life. This man that the whole family seemed to love and who was actually so sweet. So sweet. So in love with Elliot. 

Timothy smiles as he thinks back on that. He was so fucking jealous. So jealous of how much Lucas could love Elliot.So he's been blowing off steam. On Lucas. On Josh. On Eliott. Until he took it too far. He couldn't bear to see them so happy. When Lucas came back from the kitchen with the trace of Eliott's teeth on his lips, it literally blew Timothy's mind. It was too much.Why they allowed themselves to be happy when Tim felt so bad about being like them. Why he have to hide out to be with men? Why should he just contact guys to meet them at night, while his wife was cheating on him with her boss? Why did he have to repeat over and over that he was straight, even when sleeping with a meaningless guy was already better than being with his wife? Why did he have to feel dirty after being with a man when Lucas and Eliott were so happy? Why was he the only one who felt like society would never accept two men who love each other? 

He saw the look of hatred in Lucas' eyes when he hit him. Frankly, if he could, today's Tim would punch 20-year-old Tim himself. But lucky for him,lucas did. 

Little, quiet, shy Lucas beat him up in front of the whole family to defend his boyfriend. And it completely turned Timothy's life upside down. Timothy would never hit anyone to defend Eleanor. And she never would have lifted a finger for Tim.

When they got home, Tim locked himself in his room and cried all night. He thought he'd lost his family. Never again would he be able to look his parents, uncles, aunts or cousins in the eye. And his grandmother... he was convinced he'd never see her again. He had disappointed his whole family.

The next day, he told Eleanor he was leaving. She didn't even seem surprised. He quit his job at the newspaper and left. Without a second glance back. 

He smiled, thinking that even now, no one in his family knows what he did for this year. It's his secret. His spiritual retreat. The moment when he took stock of his life before he decided to change everything. Of course, he sent messages to his parents, but just to let them know he was okay. He didn't answer any of their calls, any of their questions. Just one ' _'I'm fine. I'm thinking of you. I'm sorry. I need some time_ " every Sunday, without fail.

When he came home after a year, he filed for divorce. He felt so free. He could finally be himself. He finally wanted to be himself. 

Two weeks later, he went to his grandmother's birthday party without telling anyone, not even his parents. He had prepared himself to be fired or at least to be pointed at. But he wasn't. His mother screamed with joy and hugged him. When Eliott, Lucas and Josh came back from the retreat house with grandma, they remained stoic, until Timothy walked up to them and apologized. And Eliott was the first to take him in his arms.

That day, he talked a lot with Lucas and apologized several times for his behavior. It was horrible but necessary. And fortunately for Tim, Lucas does not hold a grudge. He announced his divorce to the whole family and couldn't miss his mother's smile. He told them about his new job in biopic publishing. Eliott and Lucas announced their marriage and Tim could not help but be surprised to be invited.

When Tim came home that night, he was not jealous of Lucas and Eliott. He was just happy. Happy to be part of his family again. Happy to be able to share moments of laughter with them. And happy that Eliott's repartee is still intact. He was even happy to have been the target of the water battle between cousins, after Noah, under the pretext that it was necessary to celebrate his return to the family. 

He enjoyed life, quietly. Fulfilling himself in his work, going out with friends without trying to meet anyone. And then he bumped into Dimitri. When he thinks back on their first meeting, he can only smile. He was in such a hurry, he didn't want to be late to meet their new boss. What a jerk. And then Dimitri made his place in his life. Timothy realized that he was looking forward to Friday, not for the weekend, but because he knew he was going out with Dimitri. Among friends. And that's what they were. Friends. And even though Timothy couldn't think of anything else but Dimitri, he couldn't bring himself to show his face. And with Dimitri totally out of the closet, he certainly couldn't offer him a secret relationship. Not at their age... so he had to settle for just being his friend. But when Dimitri told him he was going to take the job in New York and leave, Timothy felt his heart break. So he laid all his fears to rest and kissed him. It was pretty easy after all. Just one kiss. 

Tim smiles as he looks back on this wonderful moment and checked his phone again. Fuck, Eliott's very late... he's really gonna kill him. 

The door opens and he jumps open, letting his cousin in. He's really handsome.

"Eliott, I'm gonna kill you."

Eliott laughs as he raises his hands in front of him.

''It ain't my fault. You'll see how easy it is to prepare two overexcited children. I had to do Alice's hair three times because she didn't think it was perfect. And Lucas kept practicing the piano to make sure it was perfect."

Timothy laughs. Alice, at almost 3 years old, is a very strong character.

''She's got her father's temperament'' laughs Tim.

"I guess it depends on whose father you're talking about," laughs Eliott.

"I'm talking about your dog's temper, cousin."

And Eliott bursts out laughing and gets closer to his cousin.

"Somebody looks pretty stressed out today, doesn't he?"

Tim points his finger at him.

''If a certain boy wasn't late, I might be a little calmer. But why did I ask you to be my best man?"

Eliott looks at his watch and sighs.

''Hey. Because you love me, cousin. Come on, there's plenty of time. Just relax. Come on, let me fix your haircut. It looks like shit."

Timothy looks at himself in the mirror and laughs.

''I don't have a haircut, Eliott. It's just my hair."

''That's exactly what I was saying.'' Eliott confirms as he pulls gel out of the hairdresser's drawers. ''Come on, stop moving.''

Timothy looks at the time and tries to calm his breathing.

''I've never seen you happier than when you told us you were going out with Dimitri. I'm looking back at the scene like it was yesterday. I asked you how the romance was going, just to piss you off, and you said you'd been going out with Dimitri for a year, and if all went well, next year he'd be with you. I know I don't tell you this often, but I've never been more fucking proud of you than I was at that moment. You said it, just like that. Like it's normal for you to be in love with a boy. And I was so fucking proud of you."

Eliott puts his hand on his cousin's shoulder and Tim puts his hand on . 

"I'm really proud of what you've become, little prick." Eliott laughs.

''Thank you, jester. I'm proud of you too."

"There you go," writes Lucas as he opens the door, "I was sure you couldn't go a day without insults."

He turns to Josh, just behind him, who confirms. 

"Everybody's waiting for you guys," warns Josh, showing the time. 

Timothy grabs his phone. 

"Holy shit, it's time."

"It's time," confirms Eliott. "Your husband's waiting."

"Don't worry," says Lucas. "Dimitri's as stressed out as you are."

"Do you think I was as stressed at our wedding?" Lucas asks as he leaves the room on Eliott's arm.

''You literally threw up all over Yann, baby... so yeah, I guess you were a little."

Lucas burst out laughing. He'd forgotten about it. It wasn't the best part of the day, though. 

They barely made it down the stairs when that their children come running.

''Dads, Alice lost one of the wedding rings I was supposed to bring.'' Nico exclaims.

Eliott and Lucas turn to their little black-eyed blonde who mopes in apology.

''I'm sorry. I wanted to look at her and she fell down the sewer hole."

''We're gonna get killed,'' says Eliott as he jumps in. ''Fuck, he's gonna kill us. He's gonna say I did it on purpose to ruin his wedding. Oh, shit."

"It's a joke!" say the two kids in chorus, while Nico shows the two rings.

"What?" exclaims Lucas, frowning at his eyebrows.

"Timothy told us to do this." Nico explains, "He promised us a gift. He said Daddy would understand."

Alice shows Timothy laughing on the stairs.

''I swear I didn't tell Nico to pee on Dimitri!'' said Eliott to Timothy, who now descended the stairs "Aren't you ashamed to bribe our children like that?"

Timothy laughed. Bothering his cousin is the best stress reliever ever.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me a little comment ✍️ ♥ ️💔😊☹️


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